Lars Balk
Dutch field hockey player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lars Balk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlɑrz ˈbɑl(ə)k]; born 26 February 1996) is a Dutch professional field hockey player who plays as a defender or midfielder for Kampong and the Dutch national team.[1]
Vianen, Netherlands
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
26 February 1996 Vianen, Netherlands | ||
| Playing position | Defender / Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Kampong | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2008 | MHC Vianen | ||
| 2008–2014 | Kampong | ||
| Senior career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 2014– | Kampong | ||
| National team | |||
| Years | Team | Caps | Goals |
| 2014–2017 | Netherlands U21 | 15 | (0) |
| 2015 | Netherlands (indoor) | 12 | (1) |
| 2016–present | Netherlands | 122 | (3) |
Medal record | |||
Club career
Balk started playing hockey at the age of five at his local hockey club MHC Vianen.[2] When he was 12 years old and wanted to play on a higher level, he switched to Kampong.[2] He made his debut for the first team of Kampong when he was 17 years old.[3] Balk played in all four matches in the 2014–15 Euro Hockey League, where they were eliminated in the quarter-final. In his second Euro Hockey League, they reached the final and won the tournament.[citation needed]
International career
Before Balk made his debut for the outdoor senior team, he played for the indoor team in the 2015 Indoor World Cup, where they won the gold medal.[4] He made his debut for the senior national team in January 2016 in a test match against Argentina.[5] After he was not selected in the 2017 EuroHockey Championship squad for the senior team, he played in the 2017 EuroHockey Junior Championship.[6] Balk played in all seven matches in the 2018 World Cup and scored one goal. They eventually reached the final, where they lost to Belgium.[7] In June 2019, he was selected in the Netherlands squad for the 2019 EuroHockey Championship.[8] They won the bronze medal by defeating Germany 4–0.[9]
